Abstract

The worldwide network of neutron monitors (NMs) is the primary instrument to study cosmic‐ray variability on time scales of up to 70 yr. Since the 1950s, 147 NMs with publicly available data have been in operation, and their records are archived in and distributed through different repositories and data sources. A comprehensive analysis of all available NM data sets (300 data sets from 147 NMs) is performed here to check the quality and consistency of the data. The data sources include World Data Center for Cosmic Rays, the Neutron Monitor Database, the Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere, and Radiowave Propagation (IZMIRAN) and individual station/institution databases. It was found that The data from the same NM can be nonidentical and of different quality in different sources. We give and tabulate here a recommendation for the optimal data source of each NM. We also present here a list of 29 “prime” stations with the longest and most reliable data. Verified data sets for these prime stations are provided as supplementary information.